To get to Lord's kitchen you need to find your way around a bridge, under an overpass, and through the middle of a train yard. This concrete block eatery announces in every detail that you are only here for the food.The utility space held about ten tables. And the wall had a few vinyl stickies on the wall. But the most important element of walking in was Ray who greeted us at the door, walked us through the menu, served us, waited on us through our meal, and provided some light and lovely conversation.I took a work colleague with me that I've been trying to have lunch with for over a year now.Lord's has a spartan menu that is dominated by their hamburgers which appear to vary in size only from a quarter-pound burger to a two-pounder. They had a variety of other diner-style food available. You tell them how to fix the burger, I'd prefer for them to tell me how to do it best. But I took it with everything. Price-wise, the one-pound burger meal was $13, eminently reasonable. And of course cheaper for the smaller sandwiches.Due to the rules I've put on myself, I had to get the "Lord's 1 pound hamburger" since it's the name burger. It's not quite as big as it sounds, but I would definitely go for a smaller sandwich next time. It seems to me as though the half-pound version would make a better signature. But that's not my call, so I ordered up the big one. Pam got the quarter-pound version.Our seat had that ever-so-slight wobble of a table loved. And despite how industrial the setting felt, Lord's was undeniably cozy.Our food took only a couple minutes.For a one-pound burger, the plate appeared quite manageable. It was a simple put-together basket that felt entirely inviting.But hefting it was a chore. It came with two patties, was a lot to hold, and tall enough to make you think about how to fit it into your mouth. (I figured it out)Once you crack through the generous iceberg lettuce, the flavor of the meat takes over. There was nothing dull about this flavor. It tasted like a simple salt-and-pepper mix (though I wouldn't be surprised if there was a secret ingredient) but it made the taste of the beef really come alive.But if I'm being honest it fell on the salty side.The grind of the beef was robust and satisfying. But by the end, had grown chewy. The burger was never too greasy, but that seemed largely because it soaked right to the bottom bun, which was virtually disintegrated by the end of the meal.I can't help but wonder if a quicker-to-eat burger would have eliminated some of my biggest complaints.Coming with "everything" included mayo on the top, a slab of tomato, two rings of onion, the aforementioned bouffant of lettuce, a creamy slice of cheese, and mustard on the bottom. The abundant lettuce served to very effectively balance the strong meat.Flavor-wise this evoked the kind of burger your dad would make on the stove at home, right down to the flaky grocery-store-style buns.Lord's kitchen feels like the kind of place traditions are made of.The fries, if you care, were supple, light, flavorful, and a draw in their own right.But my focus is singularly on the burger. This was definitely an above-average burger. I'd even call it a great burger. And if I find myself on the East side looking for an easy and supremely satisfying meal, you can be sure I'll stop back by to see Ray. But in my opinion, it doesn't crack the top tier of local burgers.https://bestburgerinsa.wordpress.com/.../lords-kitchen.../
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